Fore-and-aft sail setting and magazine construction



S. ENKE Oct. 31, 1961 FORE-AND-AFT SAIL SETTING AND MAGAZINECONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 28, 1960 Sign/zen Era/c6 Oct.31, 1961 s. ENKE 3,006,308

FORE-AND-AFT SAIL SETTING AND MAGAZINE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 28, 19602 Sheets-Sheet 2 /4 INV ENT OR Siepkerz Era/c9 BY ,mflwamzm ATTORNEYSUnited States Patent Ofifice 3,006,308 Patented Oct. 31, 1961 3,006,308FORE-AND-AFT SAIL SETTING AND MAGAZINE CONSTRUCTION Stephen Enke, NewHaven, Conn. (Economics & Business, Duke University, Durham, N.C.) FiledMar. 28, 1960, Ser. No. 17,860 9 Claims. (Cl. 114-102) This inventionrelates to an adapter mounting for a fore-and-aft sail of the type knownas a staysail, that permits the sail to be quickly and easily set on orremoved from the standing rigging of a sailboat or vessel. It isparticularly adapted for use with the usual forward jlb stay of asailboat of any size and especially for sailboats having crews limitedin number and where rough weather conditions are encountered thatrequire frequent setting on, removal and stowage of the staysail byreason of the rapidity and relative ease with which it permits theseoperations to be effected.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an adapterarrangement, for a staysail or the like, which not only constitutes aflexible sail-positioning and sail stowage unit, enabling the stowage inthe usual flexible shipboard manner but also in addition provides forset ting the sail on and removing it from the stay in a simple, fast,and relatively effortless manner.

Another object is the provision of a sail setting-andstowage flexiblecable magazine unit from which and onto which the sail can easily andquickly be directly slid when setting the sail or stowing it.

Another object is the provision of a sail setting-andstowage flexiblecable magazine from which and onto which a fore-and-aft pluralslider-mounted sail can be directly slid with the slide fastenersautomatically maintaining proper alignment with each other.

Another object is to provide a staysail magazine unit that functions asa means for locked stowage of the sail thereon and also to lockinglyretain the sail on the boat stay after being set thereon from themagazine.

Another object is to provide a sail mounting and magazine adapterarrangement that is of simple construction, low in manufacturing costs,light in weight enabling it to be easily handled, and sufficientlystrong to withstand rough handling without damage.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will be understood fromthe following description which, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, disclose a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of the staysail adapter mounting andstowage magazine shown in operative relation to the lower deck-anchoredend of the boat or mast stay with the sail disposed partly on both thestowage magazine and boat stay;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view of the sail mounting and stowagemagazine;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the stayadapter fitting component; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view, taken on line 44 of FIGURE 1.

As illustrated, the construction includes a boat stay adapter fitting 10of suitably strong and non-rusting metal, such as stainless steel, thatis of dumbbell cross section, noting FIGURE 4. Both end portions 11 and12 thereof are preferably of corresponding circular or cylindricalsection and integrally connected together by means of a waist or websection 13. End portion 11 is preferably of greater length than portion12 and at each of its ends is provided with an eye 14. Portion 12 of theadapter fitting 10, which is coextensive with the upper end of portion11, is provided with a suitable and conventional stay receiving andconnector structure, here shown as an anchoring socket 19 into which thelower end of the boat stay 20, comprising a part of the standingrigging, is securely attached. The lower end of the end portion 12terminates in a threaded male stud 21 for a purpose to be hereinafterexplained. A suitable deck anchoring means 25, including a conventionalturnbuckle or the like 26 is connected to lower eye 14 of the adapterfitting by means of a suitable pin means 27.

The sail setting adapter and magazine stowage unit, generally designated29, comprises a flexible cable 30 of suitable length and which may be ofnon-rusting metal strands or synthetic fiber. Rigidly attached to oneend of flexible cable 30 by conventional attaching means is a metallicend member 31 having a rotatable connector element 32 having an axiallyaligned threaded socket 33 which is threadably engageable with thecomplementary threaded stud 21 on the adapter fitting 10. The exteriorof connector element 32 is suitably knurled at 34 for facilitatingmanual attachment thereof. At the opposite end of cable 30 fixedlyattached thereto, by conventional attaching means, is a metallic endmember of enlarged diameter having formed laterally thereon an enclosureor clip device 36 the opening 37 of which is normally maintained closedby a spring-urged closure gate member 38. At its outer free end the endmember is provided with an axially aligned threaded stud 40 identicalwith threaded stud 21 on adapter fitting 10 in size and number ofthreads.

The diameters of the stay cable 20 and magazine cable 30 aresubstantially the same while the diameters of the cable end member 31and connector element 32 are of the same size as that of each of theportions 11 and 12 of adapter fitting 10 which are of a diameter asclosely approaching the diameter of the cables 20 and 30 as ispermissible for retention of structural stability and requisitestrength. Likewise, the dimensions of the space within the clip device36 and the width of the normally closed opening 37 thereto are such aswill freely receive stay 20 when the device 36 is clipped thereon.

The luff or leading edge 51 of the fore-and-aft sail 50 has securedthereto, as by stitching or the like, appropriately spaced suitablemetallic stay-attaching slide fastenets or hanks 52. These slidefasteners, as shown in FIGURE 4, each comprise two complemenetaryarcuate arms 53 and 54, the free ends of which are spaced apart adistance sufiicient to slide freely over adapter fitting web 13 butsufliciently close together to retain the slide fasteners on either stay20 or magazine cable 30 though freely slidable thereon. The diameter ofend member 35 is sutficiently large to prevent passage of the sliders 52thereover.

To use the disclosed construction, the boat rigging is first modified tothe extent, as shown in FIGURE 1, of slightly shortening the lower endof the rigging line or stay 20 and attaching the stay adapter fitting 10thereto at 19. The conventional stay deck anchorage and tightening means25, 26 is then coupled to the adapter unit by means of the coupling pin27 or the like.

To set or mount sail 50 on stay 20 the flexible magazine unit 29, withthe sail slide fasteners 52 engaged with its cable 30 and locked thereonby means of the socket connector 32 at one end of the cable, beingthreadedly engaged with stud 40 at the other end to in effect form anendless cable loop, is placed on the deck in proximity to the anchoredend 25 of the stay structure (FIGURE 1). The threaded end socket 32 ofthe sail magazine is then manually unscrewed from stud 40 at theopposite end of the magazine and threadedly attached to the stud 21 ofthe adapter fitting 10. The sail 50 is then raised or set into properposition on the stay by means of a conventional halliard (not shown)attached to the sail. During this maneuver the slide fasteners 52 freelyslide, one after the other automatically in proper alignment frommagazine cable 30, over its end elements 31, 34 and over portion 12'ofthe adapter fitting onto the stay cable 20. After the sail is completelywithdrawn from the magazine unit 29 onto the stay the magazine clipdevice 36 of the magazine cable end member 35 is then clipped onto thestay above the fitting 10. Since the clip device prevents the magazineend member 35 from sliding down over the adapter fitting 10 by reason ofthe fitting web 13 the sail is locked onto the stay as long as the clipstructure 36 remains in its clipped position thereon.

To stow or remove the sail from the rigging line or stay 20, clip device36 is removed from stay 20 and placed on the boat deck, as indicated inFIGURE 1. As sail 50 is lowered the sail slide fasteners 52 merely slidedown the stay onto and over portion 12 of fitting 10 and thence ontosail magazine cable 30 whereby the lowermost slider 52 will abut againstthe magazine end member 35. When all of the sail slide fasteners 52 havebeen slid onto magazine cable 30 the sail halliard is detached and thethreaded magazine end connector socket 32 is unscrewed from the adapterfitting stud 21 and again threadedly attached to stud 40 at the oppositeend of the magazine. The magazine, with the sail mounted therein, isthen ready for removal to storage.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof and therefore the invention is not intended to be limited bythat which is shown in the drawings and described in the specification,but only as indictated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A sail stowage and setting construction for setting on or removal ofa sail from a rigging line of a vessel, comprising a rigging lineincluding an adapter fitting having an end connector thereon inalignment with the rigging line, a flexible cable means havingcomplementary connector means ateach end thereof, said end connectormeans being releasably engageable with each other to form an endlessloop sail magazine, one of said cable end connector means beingreleasably engageable with said adapter fitting end connector wherebythe sail may be slidably moved from the rigging line onto the flexiblecable magazine and vice versa.

2. A sail stowage and setting construction for setting on or removal ofa sail from a rigging line of a vessel, comprising a rigging lineincluding an adapter fitting having an end connector thereon inalignment with the rigging line, a flexible cable having complementaryconnector means at each end thereof, said end connector means beingreleasably connectable with each other to form an endless flexible loopsail magazine, one of said cable end connector means having a clipdevice thereon, the other of said cable end connector means beingreleasably connectable with said adapter fitting end connector wherebythe sail may be slidably moved from the magazine cable onto the riggingline or vice versa, said clip device on said one end cable connectormeans being releasably engageable with said rigging line above saidadapter fitting to prevent return of the sail to the flexible cablemagazine.

3. A sail stowage and setting construction -for setting on or removal ofa sail from a rigging line of a vessel comprising a sail, a riggingline, and rigging line engageable slider mounting means speciallysecured along the lutf of the sail, saidrigging line including anadapter fitting having an end connector thereon in alignment with therigging line, a flexible cable means having complementary connectormeans at each end thereof, said connector means being releasablyengageable with each other to form an endless loop sail magazine, one ofsaid cable end connectors being releasably connectable with said adapterfitting end connector and said sail mounting slider means being freelyslidable on said cable end connector means and said adapter fittingwhereby said sail may be slidably moved from the flexible cable magazineonto the rigging line or vice versa.

4. The sail stowage and setting construction defined in claim 3 whereinthe other of said cable end connectors includes a rigging clip devicethereon, said rigging clip device having a spring-closed closure toreleasably retain the clip device in engagement with said rigging lineto prevent said sail slider mounting means from moving from said riggingline to said magazine cable when the sail is set.

5. A flexible magazine for use in stowing or setting a fore-and-aft typesail on a rigging line of a vessel, comprising a flexible cable of alength to receive all the slider mounting means of a given sail thereon,a rigid member secured to each'end of said cable, one of said cablerigid end members including a rotatable threaded female connector devicethereon in alignment with the longitudinal axis of said cable, the otherof said cable rigid end members including a complementary male threadedstud thereon in alignment with the longitudinal axis of said flexiblecable and said rotatable female connector device, said two endconnector-devices being releasably secured together whereby the sail isadapted to be securely retained on said flexible cable. I

6. A flexible magazine for a fore-and-aft sail as defined in claim 5wherein said other of said cable rigid end members has a rigging lineclip device formed at the side thereof, spring-urged closure meansnormally maintaining said rigging line clip device closed.

7. A rigging line adapter fitting unit for attachment thereto of aflexible cable magazine adapted to contain a fore-and-aft sail formounting on a ships rigging line by means of sliders spacially securedto the edge of, the sail, comprising a rigid elongated member, saidmember including two substantially cylindrical portionsrintegrallyconnected together by a web of reduced thickness, a rigging lineconnector means mounted at one end of one of said cylindrical membersand a threaded stud at its opposite' end, said threaded stud and saidrigging line connector means both extending in alignment with thelongitudinal axis of said one cylindrical member, the other of saidcylindrical members having an anchorage attaching eye on at least one ofits ends.

8. A flexible sail magazine, adapted for connection to the end of arigging line of a vessel, comprising a flexible cable of a length anddiameter adapted to slidably receive all of the slider mounting means ofa fore-andaft type sail thereon, a relatively rigid end structuresecured to said flexible cable at each end thereof, a threaded rotatablecoupling member on the said end structure at one end of said flexiblecable, a complementary threaded coupling member on the end structure atthe opposite end of said flexible cable, said coupling members beinginterengageable to form an endless flexible sail magazine.

9. A flexible sail magazine as defined in claim 8 wherein the endstructure on said opposite end of said flexible cable has mountedthereon a spring-closed clip device for clipping onto. the rigging lineand adapted when so connected to constitute an abutmentvmeans for thesail slider mounting means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

